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Friday, 4 March 2016

Review - '11.22.63', Episode 3 - 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'

The previous episode of 11.22.63
may have been, essentially, little more than a self-contained
side-plot - but, it was obviously still a very important moment for
Jake Epping. By stopping the brutal murder of that innocent family,
Jake has managed to prove to himself that changing the past actually
is possible, despite Time's best efforts to push back against him. It
was an important victory for Jake, which goes some way toward
countering the feeling of defeat that he was left with at the end of
the first episode. Of course, the fact that, in order to save the
Dunning family, Jake was also required to kill a man is something
that is clearly going to weigh on his conscience, going forward.

Along
with this comparatively small (in terms of the scale of what he is
trying to do, at least) victory, it seems that Jake has also managed
to find himself a new ally, in the form of Bill Turcote (George
MacKay) - a young man who believes that his sister had also been
killed by Frank Dunning (and who, given the circumstances, is
probably right), and who has discovered Jake's notes from the future.
Quickly (perhaps a bit too quickly) convinced that Jake is telling
the truth, Bill decides that he wants to help. This is, obviously, a
troubled young man desperate for something meaningful in his life -
and Jake, who clearly sees the value in an having some help and
support in his mission, ultimately relents and accepts Bill's offer.
Unfortunately, though, what we see of Bill Turcote in this episode
seems to suggest that he might end up proving to be more of a
liability to Jake, than an asset - though, George MacKay is still
able to make him into a somewhat sympathetic figure, in spite of
that.

With
the two men set to work together, the episode then makes the
interesting decision of simply skipping over much of the next few
years - moving things forward to 1962 when, we already know, Lee
Harvey Oswald is set to finally return from Russia, with his young
family. The fact that Jake's mission to save JFK requires a three
year commitment, on his part, was one of the most intriguing parts of
the whole premise, going in (it also effectively counter-balances the
fact that the 'time button' also comes with its own, in-built, reset
button). It was another element of the series which effectively
conveyed the true scale of what Jake was trying to achieve, as well
as the level of his determination - though, it was obvious, from the
start, that we wouldn't be required to watch the entire three year
period. With two years, in which nothing much of any real importance
seems to take place, separating Jake from his next clear lead, it
made sense to insert a time jump, here - though, that being said, it
did still feel a little two abrupt.

I
think my real issue, on this point, is that the episode really didn't
do much to convey the sense of time passing for Jake and Bill - or,
of the effect that this passage of time might have had on their
resolve. One moment, we see Jake applying for a job as a substitute
teacher, then we are told that it is two years later, with Jake now
working as a teacher full-time - and, the two men are preparing for
the eventual arrival of Lee Harvey Oswald as though no time has
passed, at all. The episode jumped forward two years - yet, for all
the importance it seemed to have, it could have just as easily been a
month. It was a little frustrating.

Once
we make the jump, though, things begin to get very interesting.
Taking up residence in an apartment just across the street from the
one that Oswald will soon come to inhabit, the episode is able to
inject elements of some fairly classic spy drama, as Jake and Bill
set up surveillance. Also, the whole sequence in which the two are
almost caught, with Oswald and his young wife arriving just as the
two are 'bugging' the apartment (while it is, admittedly, a somewhat
contrived bit of timing) was particularly tense. It is also
interesting to note, on this point, the way in which any similar bit
of contrivance on this series (or, the book on which it is based) can
be attributed to Time pushing back against Jake. Is that clever
plotting, or lazy plotting? Or, is there even a difference, at this
point?

What
we saw of Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber) was also fascinating.
Returning to America as a husband and father, there is no real
indication of the man who might one day go on to assassinate a
president - but, the final scene of the episode does show us that
there is anger, and deeply help beliefs, which could potentially
drive him in that direction. Having not read Stephen King's original
novel (and, also, being aware that the series might change the
resolution, anyway), I have no idea where any of this is going - but,
Oswald's presence, here, does make me a little more interested in the
series' overarching plot-line than I have been over the past couple of
episodes.

Alongside
this, we also have Jake's experiences as a teacher, in which his
instantly flirtatious relationship with the new librarian, Sadie
Dunhill (Sarah Gordon), quickly becomes a new focal point for the
show. The hints of romance develop between them quickly - but, Sarah
Gordon and James Franco have enough natural chemistry, in their
scenes together, that it is entirely believable that the two could be
so instantly drawn to each other.

It
might seem a bit strange that Jake was so willing to let himself
become romantically involved with anyone, given the circumstances -
though, I assume that is due to the complacency that must have come
from spending the past two years with these same people. After so
much time, there must be a part of Jake that is content with the life
he has built for himself - and, the conflict between that life and
his overarching mission is obviously going to become a significant
factor in later episodes. If we had actually been shown a little more
of that two year period, rather than simply skipping over it, then
the episode might have been able to do a better job of getting that
point across - which is a bit of a shame.

Worthy
of note, also, are those few moments in which Jake finds himself
butting heads with classic, 1960s-style, racism on behalf of Miss
Mimi (Tonya Pinkins) - with the scene in which Jake angrily confronts
the gas station who refused to serve her serving as a great character
moment for Jake Epping, in particular, that is well-played by James
Franco. Sure, in the great scheme of things, these scenes might serve
no other purpose than to show the audience the sort of person that
Jake really is - but, in that regard, they get the point across quite
well.

The
third episode of 11.22.63
was an episode that felt somewhat transitional, in nature. With
regard to the show's over-arching plot to prevent the assassination
of JFK, there was a strong sense in which the episode was concerned,
primarily, with covering important ground as efficiently as possible.
That, more than anything, is the likely reason for that frustratingly
abrupt time-jump which brought us forward to 1962. Still, though,
those early indications of the conflict Jake is sure to feel between
the life he is building in the 1960s, and his mission, suggest some
fascinating developments for the future. And, the introduction of the
figure at the centre of it all, Lee Harvey Oswald, does a wonderful
job of giving that series long mission a greater sense of focus.